


lush

by kynqso



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gardens, M/M, Past one-sided Suho/Kyungsoo but nothing serious, Side Junmyeon/Joohyun, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-29 12:22:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10853895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kynqso/pseuds/kynqso
Summary: They talk among dancing plants and fairy lights. Kyungsoo thinks Baekhyun's smile is the highlight of the night.





	lush

The sky was pink when Kyungsoo stepped out of his house today but now it's dark blue, a dark canvas littered with glowing dots scintillating through the earth's atmosphere.  
  
Junmyeon is off somewhere in this roof garden, a gentle hand on the dip of his fiancé’s—no—wife's back as they go around chatting with guests and maneuvering through wide ferns and weeping figs caving in. It looks like a tame jungle but with fairy lights and soft jazz and cake. Everyone is wearing at least a button-down shirt, an evening dress, or something semi-formal. Expensive to the taste but not quite so. Junmyeon wanted to go simple for the theme.  
  
From afar, Kyungsoo thinks Junmyeon and Joohyun look like a royal couple, silk and satin among soft fabrics and linen dresses. They always looked good together, ever since they started dating during third year of college. Kyungsoo can't believe it's been eight years since and now they're married. He thinks it might have been tears he saw in Junmyeon's eyes that afternoon.  
  
Kyungsoo sits alone, watches people chatting and laughing and dancing with an unattached gaze and mind. He thinks he might be tasting the stars tonight, martini down his throat, the taste of icing in his tongue, and the kiss of the evening breeze on his face. Ivies flutter in the wind, petunias spill on the floor, and palms stand proudly among the fairy lights.  
  
Among the dancing plants, Kyungsoo breathes and something about the night tickles his veins, making him feel alive, like he's much younger yet much older at the same time, like time is running weirdly, and he can't believe this is the second time he's attending one of his friend's wedding and they're not at one of those college parties Chanyeol and Sehun and Junmyeon used to pull him along to.  
  
Tonight, though, unlike those college parties, Kyungsoo is alone. Chanyeol is off somewhere, probably eating more cake and talking to their old friends. Junmyeon is with Joohyun. Sehun and Jongin's somewhere Kyungsoo can't see from his spot, sitting in one of the bamboo chairs near the bar, hidden behind giant leaves and people slow-dancing and laughing through the night. Other people he knows and is acquainted with, like Yi Fan-hyung and Seungwan and Ryeowook-hyung, but tonight he prefers the company of the asparagus ferns and soft saxophone blending in the background.  
  
Three minutes after Kyungsoo finishes his drink, the taste of gin lingering on his tongue, Junmyeon comes to check up on him and asks if he wants some company. Junmyeon has always been like this, has been looking after Kyungsoo for the past ten years like an older brother. There was one point in his life when he wanted Junmyeon to see him more than a younger brother, more than a friend, but Kyungsoo's past that. He was young and naive back then. Now, he tells Junmyeon to look after himself and his wife.  
  
"I'm fine, hyung," Kyungsoo says with a smile, waving him off, almost hitting the leaf of the plant behind him. "I talked to a few people earlier. I'm just having a drink for now."  
  
And it's true. He'd chatted with other people for a bit, laughed at Jongin's silly remarks, and listened to Joohyun's passionate talk about botany before retreating deeper into the garden to get a drink and watch the party from the sidelines, choosing to do what he does best.  
  
"Alright, then." Junmyeon smiles back, a bit uncertainly, judging by the way he looks at Kyungsoo with a worried gaze. "Don't put your wearing suspenders to waste, okay? Go out and have fun."  
  
Kyungsoo laughs at that, fingers coming to tug at his suspenders. Chanyeol had insisted he should wear it, for a new look. Casual but classic, a twist to his usual button-down shirt, he says. There are a few people wearing the same thing too, maybe three or four, but that doesn't make Kyungsoo feel less silly. Oh well, he can't do anything about it now.  
  
With a last look, Junmyeon disappears among the greenery and the thin crowd of people dancing at the center. Kyungsoo stares at the spot where he's been, then lets his eyes trail everywhere else. When he looks out the rooftop, he sees the Seoul skyline and towering buildings and car park rooftops. Everything looks like it's glistening. No wonder why Joohyun picked this roof garden as their wedding reception, she'd always been a fan of shiny things.  
  
Kyungsoo is idling a few minutes later, tracing the outline of a building in his mind, fingers fluttering lightly against his slacks, when somebody speaks.  
  
"Are the plants good company?"  
  
When Kyungsoo turns to look, it's a guy with a white button-down and hair that looks like it's been ruffled a couple of times. He doesn't seem to mind, and Kyungsoo thinks it looks good like that, like it's all part of his look. The guy also has a familiar gaze and voice which Kyungsoo can't pinpoint where he's seen or heard. He blinks at him for a few seconds, trying to find out if they've met before, staring at the way his lips quirk up, before answering hesitantly because staying quiet for too long might seem impolite.  
  
"Yeah, the anthuriums tell really great stories," Kyungsoo says slowly, watching the tall pine tickle the guy's cheek as he laughs, a name belonging to a familiar face suddenly clicking in his mind when the guy comes closer.  
  
"Mind if I sit here?"  
  
The guy—Baekhyun—sits on the bamboo chair across his when Kyungsoo nods. He places his drink on the glass table, right beside Kyungsoo's empty one. Kyungsoo knows him, or at least he thinks he does anyway. Having a couple of mutual friends, he's heard of Byun Baekhyun through anecdotes and mentions-in-passing from Chanyeol and Junmyeon. They've met once, twice, maybe three times before, but Kyungsoo doesn't remember much, probably too distracted by the throbbing lights of a party or too much in a hurry to actually talk then.  
  
"You're Do Kyungsoo, right?"  
  
He nods. So they _do_ know each other. "Yeah, and you're Byun Baekhyun?"  
  
Baekhyun looks pleasantly surprised, judging by the way his eyebrows shoot up and his lips lifts up to a grin. "I didn't think you'd remember," he says. "We haven't really formally introduced ourselves to each other or talked to each other."  
  
"Hm, yeah, not really," Kyungsoo hums, not knowing what to say. He doesn't know whether to consider him as an acquaintance or a stranger. He knows of his existence but nothing more, just a name and a face and the random knowledge from Chanyeol that he teaches Hapkido to kids. He doesn't consider him a stranger either. Maybe he's somewhere between the two.  
  
Baekhyun takes a sip of his blue drink and Kyungsoo's gaze drops to his fingers as he picks up the glass. They're long and slender. They're also very pretty, unfairly so, unlike Kyungso's with trimmed nails always hidden in a semi fist.  
  
"The people too much for you?"  
  
Kyungsoo blinks, removing his gaze from Baekhyun's index finger. "Oh, no, not really. I just wanted a drink," he says, then tilts his head at Baekhyun. "What about you? What brings you here?"  
  
"Hm, wanted a drink too, I guess." Baekhyun shrugs, leaning back on the chair, fixing his gaze on Kyungsoo's face. Kyungsoo suddenly feels strangely conscious under his scrutiny, and he offhandedly runs a hand on his hair, slightly wondering if it's still gelled up. "Also because Junmyeon-hyung sent me here."  
  
Kyungsoo drops his hands. "He what."  
  
"Yeah." Baekhyun laughs lightly at Kyungsoo's reaction. "He suspiciously asked me if I've tasted the Blue Curacao yet and when I said no, he told me I should. A few seconds later, I learned his true agenda when he asked me if I could possible, kindly, please, talk to the man near the bar if I think he looks lonely."  
  
Kyungsoo frowns. "You think I look lonely?"  
  
"No, not really," Baekhyun says truthfully. "You look like you're comfortable being alone with the hollies and anthuriums but I had this feeling that I should talk to you anyway."  
  
"They're asparagus ferns, not hollies," Kyungsoo says, and he thinks he sees Baekhyun's eyes twinkle in amusement for a brief second. "Did the alcohol make you feel like that?"  
  
Baekhyun leans in conspiratorially to stage whisper: "No. It must be the plants controlling my mind."  
  
Kyungsoo cracks a smile at that, letting out a soft snort. Baekhyun leans back, grinning.  
  
"So, what did the anthuriums tell you that got you so invested in this place, hm?"  
  
He looks at the way Baekhyun is looking at him with a tilt of his head and a glimmer in his eyes, like he wants to hear every single thing Kyungsoo says. "Definitely not about a guy suddenly coming here to talk to me," he says, looking away from Baekhyun's gaze, trying to find something brighter and much more distracting, like the city lights.  
  
Baekhyun laughs. "Does it bother you? Me talking to you, I mean—" he pauses, "—I can go, if you want."  
  
Strangely, Kyungsoo doesn't want him to. He's quite funny and he's got nice hair and Kyungsoo could use someone to laugh with for the night, anyway. "No, I'm..." he purses his lips, "it's okay. I don't—don't really mind much, anyway."  
  
"You sure?" Baekhyun raises an eyebrow, but he's already smiling at Kyungsoo's way anyway. Kyungsoo shrugs, non-committal. "Okay then."  
  
"You used to be colleagues with Junmyeon-hyung, right?" Kyungsoo surprises himself by asking a few seconds later and he can tell Baekhyun is too by the way he pauses for a bit as he picks up his glass to drink. He remembers Junmyeon mentioning Baekhyun before. The funniest intern, he'd said. He remembers Junmyeon saying something more but the details are vague. Something about Chanyeol being classmates with him once. He'd stopped listening when Junmyeon and Chanyeol started talking about living in a 'small world.'  
  
"Yep," Baekhyun says, putting down the glass. "He was the team leader. I worked with him until I quit a year later to open up my studio. You know about it, right? Junmyeon-hyung comes to visit sometimes. And Chanyeol, too."  
  
"Oh, yeah." Kyungsoo nods. "Chanyeol mentioned it once."  
  
"It's a fun job," Baekhyun says. "Even though most of my students are hyper elementary kids who can barely kick up to my shoulder and apply because they wanted the freebie toy. They're all great students, though. Even the occasional middle-schoolers who want to learn because they think they'd look cool to their future girlfriends or something."  
  
He laughs at that, and he sees Baekhyun smile through his blue drink when he takes another sip.  
  
"What about you? You work as an architect or something, right?"  
  
"Yes." Kyungsoo nods. "Sustainable architecture. I work for a firm I've been working at since intern days."  
  
"Oh, that's nice," Baekhyun says. "Maybe you can sketch a plan for my building when I finally own one?" He grins.  
  
Kyungsoo smiles. "I'm charging two times more."  
  
"That's not what you were supposed to say!"  
  
Kyungsoo laughs, and he decides Baekhyun isn't so bad at all. He listens to the distant city traffic, the jazz in the background, and to the sound of Baekhyun's voice, and wonders why he never paid attention before.  
  
  
  
They talk more as the night ascends, the jazz music ascending along. At one point, Baekhyun offers to get him a drink. Kyungsoo politely declines, says he can get one for himself, and walks to get something blood red because he feels like it. When he's walking back, Baekhyun's staring at his shirt or his shoulders or something and Kyungsoo squints at him before Baekhyun snaps out of it and starts talking again.  
  
They laugh, behind the shade, ferns tickling their arms, alcohol tickling their brains. He listens to Baekhyun talk about video games and the pet ban in his apartment and how he got into Hapkido. Baekhyun listens to him when he talks about movies and funny times with Junmyeon and Chanyeol and plants.  
  
"My mother used to garden a lot when I was a kid," Kyungsoo says, the taste of alcohol rich and tangy in his tongue. "She'd ask me to help her pull out the weeds and she'd tell me the name of every plant."  
  
"What's your favourite plant?"  
  
"Aloe veras."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because they're easy to look after and also very useful. I have a few in my apartment and I named one Frank because I was listening to Frank Sinatra when I got the plant."  
  
Baekhyun laughs, a rich sound that strains in Kyungsoo's ears. "You're cute, you know." he grins, and Kyungsoo pretends to stare at the pine behind Baekhyun and not at his teeth. "Very cool and smart, too."  
  
Kyungsoo feels strangely flustered at the comment and he knows he _shouldn't_ be because it's the comment of a high-schooler after all. Despite this, however, his mind keeps drifting to it and it must be the alcohol, but he wants to touch Baekhyun's hair. He stutters over his words at one point when he sees Baekhyun smiling at him with something in his eyes as he retells a story before relieving himself and continuing on.  
  
They veer topic into other things, like jazz music and parties in general. As they talk, Kyungsoo can't help but notice the mole above Baekhyun's upper lip and the way he uses his hands while talking, which is quite distracting because it has been published way before that he has pretty fingers. He tries not to stare too much, at the wrinkle of his shirt, at the way he sits and carries himself, and Kyungsoo tries to snap himself out of it. He distracts himself from the sudden blaze of electric warmth in his chest. It trails across his veins, fiery yet kindling, comfortable yet uncomfortable. He finds that he is suddenly restless. He doesn't know what to do with his hands. When he trains his gaze back up to Baekhyun's eyes, he finds that Baekhyun has been looking back at him all this time.  
  
"Sorry," Kyungsoo mumbles. "My mind is fuzzy. Must be the alcohol and loud noise."  
  
"I saw a fire escape near here earlier," Baekhyun says, a hint of a smile or something ghosting in his lips. "Do you prefer somewhere quieter?"  
  
And Kyungsoo doesn't know why but he nods, stares at the back of his head, follows Baekhyun deeper into the garden until it's not a garden anymore, until beech leaves and vines turn into brick and metal and the air smells more like acrid piss and tastes more like rusting iron. The taste of the liquor is still strong in his tongue.  
  
"You left our drinks," is the first thing Kyungsoo says when they lean against the railing, the metal cool under their elbows.  
  
"Oh yeah, I forgot," Baekhyun says. "The glass was almost empty, anyway."  
  
They drown in silence for a while, listening to the sound of vacancy and the distant music and laughter from the party. The party feels like a hundred miles and fifty years away. Meeting Baekhyun earlier feels like a thousand. It's warm when their arms brush against each other, and even more so when Baekhyun keeps it there and stares at Kyungsoo.  
  
"We should've stolen, like, a bottle of wine or something."  
  
"The cocktail tasted too good?"  
  
Baekhyun looks at him with a smile. "Yes, I'm glad Junmyeon-hyung asked me to go to the bar."  
  
Kyungsoo can't stop staring back because he knows they're not talking about alcohol anymore. Baekhyun's fingers are cool when it touches Kyungsoo's elbow. "I'm glad the anthuriums told me to talk to you," he whispers.  
  
"And I'm glad you listened to them," Kyungsoo whispers back, the corner of his lips quirking up, and then there's Baekhyun's looking at him, their faces close but not too close, their chests hammering. He still feels warm from all the alcohol, the buzz of soft jazz prickling in his veins, the fairy lights shining on the back of his mind, and he feels much, much warmer when Baekhyun presses closer.  
  
"I'd like to kiss you," Baekhyun breathes, and Kyungsoo's heart jumps to his throat. "Is it okay?"  
  
"I wouldn't mind,” Kyungsoo whispers and Baekhyun closes in.  
  
Baekhyun tastes like citrus and rose water and all the things Kyungsoo never thought he'd learn to appreciate. Everything feels like soft jazz and swimming lights and ivies climbing in his chest. They press closer, until Kyungsoo thinks he can't breathe anymore, until close seems too close. Baekhyun bites his bottom lip, smiles against his lips, pulls Kyungsoo by his suspenders.  
  
"I liked these," he hums, pulling him closer, tugging on the leather. "You look good in it."  
  
Kyungsoo's head swims and he closes his eyes. They kiss more, Kyungsoo resting his fingers on his collarbone, Baekhyun pressing him against the railing, fingers still toying with the suspenders. Kyungsoo's head is still swimming as Baekhyun presses a kiss on his jaw and stops there. The metal railing digs in his hip.

"Hey…” Baekhyun starts, exhaling, his breath tickling Kyungsoo's skin, “I'd like to buy you dinner first, or something," he mumbles, lips still pressed on his jaw. "Or take you out. Or give you a house plant. Before... before this."  
  
Kyungsoo opens his eyes.  
  
The reality of the situation sinks in his mind, and suddenly the weight of Baekhyun leaning against him seems too real, too close,  and it's too early for this to be happening—  
  
"Is it alright with you?" he leans away from Kyungsoo, but keeps his palms on his hips, and it feels so, so warm that Kyungsoo wants it to stay there, wants them to stay like this, except he suddenly feels shit and he feels like his head is splitting and he's very confused.  
  
"That's... a good idea, actually," he whispers, fingers stuttering in Baekhyun's collarbone. "I’m so stupid, I'm sorry, I—"  
  
Baekhyun smiles at him, soft, understanding. "Don’t apologize. What are you even apologizing for?"   
  
"I... don't know, I just feel confused." he closes his eyes, exhales. “A house plant sounds... nice.”  
  
They pull away from each other, and lean against the railing again, tilting their heads back, staring at the sky. Kyungsoo's mind is racing with a million thoughts and he can still feel Baekhyun's lips on his jaw. He's trying to think if he regrets it, if he'd do it all over again. Yes. Maybe. He'd talk to Baekhyun a million times more and then kiss him much later, soon, in time, because this is not really his thing. He doesn't really do this kind of stuff. He just wants to talk and laugh and feel each other's warmth for now.  
  
It's quiet for a while and Kyungsoo thinks that Baekhyun might be mad, or disappointed, or tired, but then he speaks, soft, and Kyungsoo is relieved. "We should get them a gift, you know, for housewarming. Like a cat or... or a coffee maker."  
  
"A… cactus."  
  
"A cactus."  
  
"Yeah," Kyungsoo says slowly, cautiously. "Joohyun-noona is in love with plants and Junmyeon-hyung likes anything she is in love with so it'll work."  
  
"Where can I buy one?"  
  
Kyungsoo swallows before speaking, breathes out the tension in his bones, thinking why some part of his brain is telling him to go but he doesn't want Baekhyun to. "I can... go with you to pick, if you want. I know a place."  
  
When he turns to look, Baekhyun is looking at him with a smile that tugs at his chest. "Yeah?"  
  
"Yeah, if you don't mind. I guess," Kyungsoo mumbles.  
  
"You know, weirdly, I've been thinking." Baekhyun smiles. "I think that... I wouldn't mind going anywhere with you."  
  
Their arms press against each other's again, and Kyungsoo lets it. He feels warm from where Baekhyun's arm is touching his and they stay like that a bit longer, for a couple more minutes, until they decide to go back into the garden, retreat under the big leaves. They order more drinks and talk more, under the shade, among the greenery, until Kyungsoo starts feeling less like shit and less stupid and he starts feeling more comfortable and more like himself.  
  
Baekhyun doesn't seem to mind doing just this, laughing, sipping on colorful drinks, allowing time to tell what's going to happen, waiting, because if they waited this long then they can wait a bit longer to see what's going to happen to them. They laugh, edge of their toes pressing together, and it feels as though the stars and the yellow bells are laughing with them. He feels warm all over when Baekhyun looks at him and Kyungsoo is pretty sure the warmth doesn't come from the alcohol.  
  
  
  
Baekhyun comes to his apartment two days later with a potted plant and a charming smile. Kyungsoo feels light.  
  
"You should look up its meaning," Baekhyun says, grinning, and Kyungsoo laughs, giddy with the familiar blazing warmth in his chest. It's a white violet and Kyungsoo doesn't need to look up its meaning for him to understand the softness in Baekhyun's eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> kyungsoo should look up the meaning actually, because white violets mean "Let's Take a Chance on Happiness" or something like that. basically baekhyun is a sweetheart.


End file.
